Shellfish Cow Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in South Oxfordshire

If you're looking for something a little bit different, this place hits the spot with its quirky decor, carefully selected menu & winelist, and genuinely friendly service. All the details have been lovingly assembled to create a distinctive restaurant experience.

The Green Apple Martini and the Selfish Fizz were both memorable for providing a layered taste profile that was like going on a journey. We would definitely have those again.

The Crab Tostadas made for a great sharing experience. The combination of a light touch of chilli and a heavy dose of lime was just right to complement the crab.

The 12 oz sharing Ribeye was melt-in-the-mouth good; enhanced by half a roasted garlic and roasted shallot. The basting sauce was so good, in fact, that the chimichurri sauce on the side wasn't really needed.

The 1.5 lb lobster steamed in shellfish liquor was the hero here - not just for being so fresh that a distinction could be made between the textures and flavours of all the different parts of the fish - but also for providing the opportunity to benefit from Louis' personal attention. We were a bit unsure about dismantling the lobster without getting in a mess, but he offered to show us all the techniques involved. He then provided us with a step by step tutorial on how to do it which was both instructive and entertaining. I'm not sure whether I could efficiently do it without supervision next time, but I feel a lot more confident about taking on the task with his expert guidance.

All in all, a most pleasant...

Wonderful! Restaurant is super quirky, small and cosy. Fairy lights at the bar, fun wallpaper, long stem candles for the vibes. Service was lush. They were all so sweet and were so attentive and were very helpful. Atmosphere was cosy and sweet. It wasn’t actually too busy when we came by on a Saturday night at 6pm so there wasn’t too much of a buzz but the music lifted the vibes.

We went for the Seafood Roast with extra bread. Consisted of crab claws, mussels, prawns, langoustines, corn on the cob and hasselback potatoes in a butter/paprika sauce. Ordered 3 cocktails (Apple Martini quite strong/sour but could be the chilli syrup in it!) all came down to £109 for everything. Was my partner’s birthday as I emailed them asking if I could decorate the table (they were fine with this!). When we didn’t order deserts they brought out a scoop of the nicest, thickest vanilla ice cream with ‘Happy Birthday’ written on the plate :) it was a very kind gesture!

Only thing I’d say is there was a bit of sand in all the mussels we ate but they were still yum and I’d put the music a tad louder to make it a bit less quiet when you’re eating! :)

Will definitely be...

We took the decision to try this place based on the reviews also the fact meant to be a fish restaurant...when we do a searching for a fish restaurant in Henley this is the one that pop up as the best...but it was a complete disappointment all the ways, the menu on that day wasn't inspiring and no other fish option for a main course, the dish we choose "Shellfish Roast", no seasoning, tasteless, it was like a paprika soup...the combination of corn on the cob, roast potatoes, all bulb garlic not even cut, inside the sauce with shellfish is an unusual combination and not discussing taste of each one but if you tried shellfish from your local fishmongers you will have more taste. The board with the daily Chef recommendation instead to put in a position easy to read for the most of the customers ( like the bottom of the room side the kitchen door) it was facing another hall...the information should be visible to everyone. The tools to break/open the crab claws very inadequate....too small. We came for food and not looking for drinks...we ate everything that doesn't mean it was enjoyable....but a respect for the...